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Scripture Reading:    Romans 15:8

Many speak of "preaching the gospel," but all too few spend much time identifying which gospel they have in mind. The reason for this is because a lot of folks believe there is only one gospel in the Bible. But in today's test, Paul identifies two gospels: "the gospel of the uncircumcision" and "the gospel of the circumcision" (Galatians 2:7).

The gospel of the circumcision was God's good news for His covenant people, Israel. The most common name for this gospel is "the gospel of the kingdom," and it is the message Christ preached while He was on earth (Matthew 4:23). It is known as the gospel of the kingdom because it offered Israel the prophesied kingdom of God upon the earth if only they would repent. Of course, Israel as a whole did not repent in the time of Christ and the apostles, therefore, the offer of this kingdom is presently being postponed until this dispensation of grace is finished.

The gospel of the uncircumcision is God's good news for this dispensation. It is also known as "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24), and was committed unto the Apostle Paul. The reason it is designated the gospel of the uncircumcision is because it offers salvation by grace through faith without any religious ceremonies. The gospel of the kingdom required law-keeping (Matthew 19:17), repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38), but the gospel of grace requires only faith (Ephesians 2:8,9).

The gospel of the grace of God is summarized in I Corinthians 15:1-4. We must believe that "Christ died for our sins...that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day."